


That Same Question

by QueenPunk



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-02
Updated: 2014-01-02
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:10:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22188172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenPunk/pseuds/QueenPunk
Summary: Hiyori wishes people would quit asking that same irritating, untrue, and stupid question. The answer would forever and always be NO!
Relationships: Hirako Shinji/Sarugaki Hiyori
Comments: 5
Kudos: 4





	That Same Question

**Chapter 1: Kirio**

* * *

Act I: A Mother's (Unusual) Concerns

Hiyori drummed her fingers impatiently on the darkly colored wood of her desk, chewing absentmindedly on her bottom lip, honey-golden eyes glued to the clock on the wall as it ticked away.

Only ten minutes left of her work day. Ten extremely _long_ damn minutes. The pendulum swung back and forth hypnotically inside its glass case, and she swore it was moving slower than normal today just to piss her off.

Normally, Hiyori didn't care about leaving early, but today was special. Today was the first night of the Soul Society's Lantern Festival. This year it was to be hosted by the Thirteenth Division which meant that all of the shows, games, fireworks, food, and whatever else might be going on, would be happening _right next door_. If she were at home right now, Hiyori would probably squeal excitedly just at the thought but she was in public and had a reputation to protect.

Every year the Court Guard Squads would have a random raffle drawing and whichever Division's number was picked would host the Festival, a seven night fair that drew almost every Soul Reaper. Each Division was also required to set up a booth. Most just served food or had simple games. Except the Eleventh Division, they had a fighting ring set up every year and without fail _every _year they would get banned after the first day because of injuries and/ or fatalities. Hiyori was hoping to get there early so she could get in on the action before the Head Captain shut it down. Party killing old bastard.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts and she tore her gaze away from the clock just as it slid open. Captain Kirio walked gracefully into the room, long wavy violet hair pulled back into a loose ponytail floating behind her, and a gentle but ecstatic smile was on her face. Hiyori knew that face and she knew that whatever her sneak of a Captain was planning would not be in her favor.

"Sweet, little Hiyori," Kirio sang, batting her long lashes and sticking out her bottom lip into an alluring pout, " I have a surprise for you."

Shit. The last time her adoptive mother had said that she had a surprise for her it had found Hiyori and Kirio in _Hueco Mundo _being chased by several vasto lordes. To this day Hiyori had no idea how they ended up there or even how they ended up back in the Soul Society. The time before that Kirio had stolen Division Eight's sake budget and tried to spend all of it to build a mansion in place of the barracks. Hiyori could only assume the only reason why that hadn't worked was because the Head Captain wasn't stupid and had denied building permits and had demanded the money back. He had almost set fire to the entire Twelfth Division in his rage while he lectured both of them in his office. Hiyori didn't understand why she had been yelled at because she wasn't the one that stole the damn money and Hiyori wasn't the one dumb enough to get caught.

She scowled," What?"

"Weeell," her Captain began," You know how the Lantern Festival is starting tonight?"

Hiyori nodded, slightly terrified over whatever Kirio had planned for the Festival. At least now she knew that she wouldn't be going this year, she thought angrily. Whenever this shit blew up she wanted to be as far away from Kirio as possible. Hopefully it wouldn't be so bad that Yamamoto would cancel the entire Festival permanently.

Kirio abruptly leaned over the desk, her face so close to Hiyori's that the latter could practically count all of her eyelashes. She sighed, resigned to her fate, " What do you want me to do for you?"

"It's not what you can do for me, but what I can do for you," the Captain preened, setting her elbows on the desk and leaning into her closed fists. She once again batted her bright eyes innocently.

This was worse than she thought, Hiyori realized with newfound horror. Anytime Kirio wanted to help her it usually meant she wanted her to wea-

"I had this _adorable_ kimono custom made. Just. For. You."

Damnit. This couldn't possibly get any worse.

"And I also bought some cute accessories. Maybe we can even get your hair out of those ponytails, eh?" Kirio laughed the last part out.

Fuck.

Struggling to find a way out of this, Hiyori began grasping at straws," Captain, I plan on working in the Twelfth Division's booth for most of the festival-"

"That's wonderful!," she cheered," You can be the hostess and greet everyone while wearing your new outfit!"

Double fuck.

"A-actually, I was going to be working in the kitchen. Cooking."

Kirio continued smiling," The Division's taking shifts this year, you'll only have to work for two hours at a time then you'll be able to change and walk around."

Triple fuck. There was only one last technique that she could use…

"I might not even go this year," she stated bluntly, biting the inside of her cheek hoping that her Captain wouldn't catch the lie. It wouldn't be too difficult to go to the festival and avoid Kirio at all costs as long as she kept her spiritual pressure in check.

Kirio rolled her eyes," Seriously, Hiyori, all you have to say is that you don't want to wear the outfit. You don't have to lie to me. Contrary to popular belief, I'm not stupid."

"Sometimes I beg to differ," grumbled the Lieutenant, before her golden eyes began to shine," Does this mean I don't have tah wear the new outfit?"

"You bet your sweet ass you will," the Captain said, " I didn't spend almost three thousand kan for you to be walking around in one of your ratty old yukatas and with your hair in pigtails again this year."

"I like the ratty old yukata and I like my hair this way," retorted Hiyori angrily, noting with distaste how quickly this conversation was escalating from playful banter to an actual argument. Lately it seemed like all the two ever did was fight, Kirio trying to steer the younger girl into a more feminine demeanor and Hiyori digging her heels in and refusing.

"Well, I like the new kimono and the hairclips," Kirio argued back before her tone softened and she cajoled sweetly," Won't you just try them on? I'm sure once you gave it a chance you'll really like them."

"_No_," Hiyori spat venomously, ocher eyes glowing with distaste, she stood up from her desk resting two hands on it as she leant closer towards the taller woman, curling her lip she jeered," You probably didn't even get one that I'd like. Probably just some pansy ass little pink and white thing that'll tear if I so much as draw my sword, huh?"

Kirio clasped a hand to her heart and proclaimed dramatically," You wound me. Sweetheart, I know you and I know what you like. _Trust_ me, you'll like it. It doesn't even have pink in it!"

Hiyori was silent for a moment, contemplating," No pink?"

"None at all."

"Will I look stupid in it?"

" Hiyori," Kirio smiled warmly at her surrogate daughter," I would never make you wear something ridiculous."

Hiyori highly doubted that. But, on the other hand, if Kirio really did spend that much on the kimono no tailor would dare make something hideous for a high paying customer. This probably wouldn't one of her smartest decisions, but wearing the kimono would make Kirio happy( and shut her up) and Hiyori would probably destroy it anyway so she wouldn't have to wear it ever again. Hopefully.

The words still tasted bitter as she uttered," Fine, I'll wear it."

/

Hiyori could admit, the kimono wasn't _that_ bad. It wasn't something she would wear of her own violation, but it was picked out in good taste. It was long and the hem would trail slightly as she walked which meant that it wasn't designed with the idea of battle in mind which is what she normally looked for in clothes. The material was a delicate red silk that had felt like cold water slipping around her as she had slid it on, filigree flowers with green stems and neatly stitched ice blue flowers varying in size were patterned along the bottom half of the kimono. The neckline and obi were a cobalt blue, nearly black that darkened the red and brought out the blue of the flowers.

The 'cute accessories' that Kirio had spoken so fondly of _were_ cute and complimented the kimono and Hiyori couldn't stand them one bit. For one, they ( along with Kirio's objections) did not allow her to put her hair up in her trademark pigtails. One was a silver hair band clip thing that she wasn't entirely sure how to put on and Kirio had to do it for her. Once it was in the clips thin comb had stuck downward in her loose hair, each stem holding several silk flowers that were done in layers of black, various shades red and blue, and gave the illusion of her actually have flowers in her hair. The other key accessory was a thin, silver choker with flowers carved out of ivory clinging to her throat. According to Kirio, if she had worn her hair up the choker would've looked tacky and the hairpiece wouldn't have stayed on right. Hiyori's suggestion that she not wear _any _accessories had quickly been shot down.

"You look beautiful," Kirio cooed, happy that her outfit of choice was actually being worn by Hiyori. Hiyori scowled in the mirror. She looked….girly. Really girly. She hated looking like this with a burning passion.

"At least someone's happy about this," she grumbled under her breath, biting her lip nervously. Kirio was going to single handedly destroy her reputation in one night with this outfit. At least she had talked her out of trying to put make up on her. She could salvage one night of dressing up or at least she hoped so.

"All the boys are going to be falling over you," squealed Kirio, eyes shining as she danced around putting on her own outfit, a long golden furisode with a simple pattern in white of birds in flight along the top of the pale silver obi and on the flowing sleeves. An elaborately large kanzashi that was carved out of white ivory and held a circular pattern of white, gold and brown feathers over her braided-twisted bun. Dangling matching earrings just barely brushed her shoulders.

At least _Kirio's _get up looked like something her Captain would actually wear.

Hiyori's scowl deepened on her face at that comment," Why the hell would I _want_ a bunch a stupid boy droolin' over me?"

Kirio uncapped her rouge and dapped it on her lips with an expert hand, looking into the mirror to give Hiyori a knowing look," You might not want their attention now, but _soon _you will and you'll know just how to sink your hooks into them."

She just rolled her golden eyes at that statement, " How about whenever I actually want to attract boys"-never will that happen-" you can teach me _then_ instead of _now_."

Kirio frowned, snapping the rouge shut, her forehead creasing and she opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something. Instead she quickly smiled and asked," Are you ready to go or will you let me add onto your outfit?"

Confused by the shift in topic, Hiyori gave a snappy," Whatever, might as well get it over with."

Kirio continued to smiled softly, her eyes slightly misty as she took in Hiyori's outfit one final time. What was her problem? Hiyori continued to scowl , sulking mostly just to sulk because if she did anything else it would mean that Kirio had won.

Truthfully, despite the outfit choice for tonight, she was still looking forward to the festival. Especially the food. And the fighting( she really hoped the Captain-General hadn't shut down the Eleventh's fighting ring while Kirio was dolling her up). But mostly the food. In one aspect of their personality, Hiyori truly was Kirio's daughter. She could eat from the time the sun rose until it set and then some. She could also cook enough to sustain that kind of eating habit, and could cook _almost_ as well as her Captain could.

"Now, you can have as much fun as you want," Kirio was telling her as they made their way towards the Thirteenth Division," but remember your shift at the Division's booth is from eight to ten."

"I know," Hiyori snapped, wondering why they couldn't just flash step there, it would be so much _quicker_, " I'm the one that made the chart with the shifts because you were too lazy to."

Kirio rolled her eyes good naturedly," No, I made the first chart and you had a fit because of how unorganized it was. I need to at least get some points for trying."

"Two points," Hiyori grudgingly consented, her eyes-although not her scowl-lightening as she saw the bright glow of lanterns growing as they drew closer. Her steps sped up. Thankfully, Kirio hadn't made her wear any fancy shoe wear that would hinder her movement. You can't be a badass in silk shoes. Her feet were bare for tonight, allowing her to enjoy the feel of her toes sinking into the different textures of the ground.

"Only two?" Kirio pouted.

Her comment was ignored as Hiyori stepped into the Thirteenth Division's domain. People were milling in the dark, the only light coming from the many lanterns that were strung from the buildings and trees. Laughter and voices floated everywhere. All Divisions were here, enjoying the Festival. Hiyori's eyes strained to find someone she knew. A certain blonde haired bastard. Not because she wanted to see him, but because she knew that asshole would have some smartass comment about her attire and she wanted to be prepared to kick his scrawny ass to the moon.

The only person she recognized was Love ambling towards them, nodding his head in greeting. He didn't mention her unusual clothing choice, although it was hard to tell what he thought of it, his glasses hiding any emotion from his eyes.

"Hey, Love, " Hiyori greeted distractedly, fingers twitching into fists sporadically as she imagined sadistically beating Shinji to a pulp before he could utter a single fucking word about her outfit," you seen Shinji?"

"Not yet, " was Love's answer.

"Princess is probably taking his sweet ass time with his hair again," she sneered, " seriously he's more anal than any girl over that yellow mop."

"_Hiyori!" _Kirio's voice whip lashed, and Hiyori rolled her eyes." Watch your language when speaking about your superiors."

" What he doesn't know won't kill 'im," Hiyori drawled, golden eyes still roving over the crowd with a bloodthirsty light. Her eyes flamed to an even more demonic shade as she saw her favorite punching bag leisurely walking down the pathway. He hadn't seen them yet.

Hiyori was just really in the mood to beat the shit out of something today.

She began to stalk towards him, puffing up for a confrontation only to be blocked by Kirio who had the strangest look on her face. Her lips were twitching with amusement but her eyes conveyed concern.

"Hiyori, sweetie," she began, " you seem awfully excited to see Shinji. Is there any particular reason why?"

" I want to see him for the same reason I always want to see him," Hiyori answered honestly, slightly put off by the look Kirio was giving her. As if the older woman knew something she didn't know. Honestly, half the time she never knew what was going on in that woman's head.

"Hiyori, do you have a crush on Shinji?"

The question didn't even register at first, the concept so ridiculously foreign. Hiyori, Shinji, and the word 'crush' didn't even belong in the same sentence. When the question finally set in, she felt her cheeks heat up. All she could see was red. She clenched her fists, mouth opening in closing angrily not quite able to put her outrage into words. Her nostril flared.

Finally sounds screeched out of her lips," _HELL NO_! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU EVEN _THINK _THAT?! THAT IS THE STUPIDEST _FUCKIN' _THING I HAVE _EVER _HEARD!"

"Hey, monkey," a voice drawled from behind her," what's got you in such a mood? Someone steal your banana?"

She whipped around and roared, pointing with an accusing finger," _YOU!"_

Then she leapt on him, grabbing his ridiculously long hair and yanked, determined ti rip it off his skull. He yelped," What did I do to deserve this?!"

Hiyori just continued to shriek like a banshee, kicking him wherever she could reach, yanking his hair out with one hand while slashing at his face with sharp nails with the other. Stupid Baldy. He struggled to get away from her, a black eye already forming on his face, claw marks peppered his face, and large portions of his hair were laying on the ground. _As if _she would ever have a crush on someone so pathetic.

She would never have a crush on him and whoever else thought to ask that fucking question would receive the beat down of a lifetime.

* * *

**Chapter 2: Love**

* * *

"How could she do this?!" Hiyori shrieked, pulling back her arm and flinging the paperweight off of her desk. It hit the wall with an unsatisfactory thump. Her eyes stung and she wanted to curl up into a ball somewhere. She reflexively clenched her fists and teeth, a sharp hissing sound escaping every time she took in a ragged breath.

How dare she?! How _DARE _Kirio leave her?!

Hiyori gripped at her hair, free from its pigtails, pulling on it a few clumps tearing free from the scalp. The pain briefly cut through her misery. It all made sense now. Why Kirio and her had been arguing , why she was trying to give her advice all the time, why-_WHY WAS KIRIO LEAVING HER?!_

Muffled sobs escaped her mouth, her legs collapsed, she did what she wanted and curled up into a ball. Hiyori's hands continued to grip tightly at her stringy blonde locks. She hated this. These _emotions_ bubbling up inside her, clogging her heart down and she struggled to keep tears from falling. She wanted to break something. She wanted to go with her. She wanted her to stay. She wanted her to rot with the Soul King. She wanted her to be just as miserable as she was in this moment. She wanted to die.

She wanted her Mommy to stay.

Kirio was everything to Hiyori. Her Captain, her mentor, her friend, but most of all her mother. Someone who had seen a little girl all alone in Rukongai and taken her in as her own. She had fed her, trained her, believed in her and most of all loved her. Hiyori had never spent longer than a week away from her side. Now she was leaving, possibly forever. Hiyori would be alone. She would once again be an orphan.

_Why?, _Hiyori had snarled when she had first heard the news. Kirio had given her some bullshit excuse about how this was a great opportunity and this was all for the good of the Soul Society and they needed her in Squad 0.

Absolute. Fucking. Bullshit.

A knock on the door made her freeze. She forced herself to sit up, tremors wracking her small body as she tried to gather the energy to snarl out," Go the fuck away,"

Hiyori winced at the sound of her voice, gargled and raspy and wobbly. Not filled with bravado and bitterness like she had intended. She really couldn't even find the energy to care that someone would hear her sound so low. Hiyori was sure she would feel shame later but for now she couldn't muster up anything that wasn't misery.

She curled back up into a ball. They would leave. They had to.

The sound of the door sliding open made her curl up tighter. She should stand up, snap at them, maybe punch them through a wall for walking in without her permission. Her muscles remain lax, refusing to even so much as twitch.

"Hiyori…?" a voice floated in. She vaguely recognized it but her grief racked mind was in too much turmoil to place who it was.

Hands were pulling her onto her feet, she blinked up to a halo of golden halo of hair.

"Damnit monkey, it's not the end of the world," Shinji grumbled.

He set her propped up against the desk. Hiyori licked her dry lips," I'm not a monkey, baldy."

"I'm not bald, monkey," he snapped back," and quit moping. It's getting on my nerves."

"I have a good fucking reason for moping," she croaked out angrily, digging her nails into the hard wood of the desk in anger. Her bloodshot golden eyes flashed heatedly. He was such a fucking prick. Mocking her while she fell to pieces. Hiyori was being destroyed here and all he could say to her was to _stop moping?!_

She snapped to full attention, the blood pumping once again in her body. With fury. Hiyori lashed forward, grabbing his precious golden locks in a viselike grip. Then, she pulled back her fist before slamming it as hard as she could into his smug ass face. Her knuckles connected with his nose with a satisfying crack, blood immediately dripped out as he reeled back. Hiyori yanked him down until they were eye to eye and growled, her ochre eyes glowing," I'm gonna kill ya."

"I'd like to see you try," Shinji shot back, his lip curling into a sneer behind the hand that had reached up to stop the blood flow from his nose.

She sprang at him, like a cat pouncing on its prey only to be harshly tugged up midair. Hiyori hissed and tried to reach behind her to claw at the hand now gripping the back of her shihakusho. Shinji grimaced out a smile at his savior," Thanks, Love. I think she was really gonna try an' kill me this time."

Then he stuck his tongue out at her," Not like the little crybaby could actually do it."

She shrieked outstretching her arms to wrap her hands around his throat, or better yet to rip his tongue out of his head. Love's hand didn't even waver, just continued to hold on. Hiyori spat every known derogatory term in her vocabulary at Shinji, but he still continued to make stupid faces at her. Love sighed and, still holding Hiyori, turned and walked out the door.

"I really don't have time for this," he grumbled before saying towards her," Kirio asked me to talk to you."

Her mouth snapped shut mid insult and she tried to look up at him to fix Love with an icy glare," I don't care."

"Don't lie to me."

"I'm not," she insisted, her lower lip puckering into a pout. Hiyori was quiet, glaring at any person that dared to stare as Love carried her along like a whipped puppy around the Seireitei. He continued to lumber along casually until they reached the Black Ridge Gate. He nodded his head at the gatekeeper, Danzomaru, who nodded back. She snorted. What was with men and that weird head nod thing? What was wrong with actually _talking?_ Then she thought of Shinji, who never shuts his fucking mouth. Never mind. Let them continue with their creepy testosterone driven rituals.

Love dropped her unceremoniously on the ground. She landed hard on her tailbone, glaring at him as she stood up, rubbing her wounded backside," Damnit. Was that really necessary? I could have walked, y'know!"

He considered her for a moment," Would you have actually followed me?"

"No."

"And that's why I carried you," he said," Kirio wants me to try and cheer you up. She doesn't want to leave knowing you're unhappy."

Hiyori frowned," Then why isn't she here. She should be the one trying to cheer me up."

Love shuffled, looking slightly frustrated," This isn't just hard for you. Kirio doesn't want to leave you. She just thinks it what's best."

She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes following a trail of ant walking in the dirt. If Kirio didn't want to leave, why was she? She could stay in the Soul Society and everything would stay normal. Everyone would be happy. She rapidly blinked as her eyes began to sting again. Hiyori refused to fall apart, not where everyone could see.

"I don't like change," she murmured, disappointed in the way her voice cracked on the last syllable.

"No one does," he said softy," but everything changes."

Hiyori looked up at him, and for the first time wondered how he was handling Kirio's leaving. The two of them had graduated from the Academy at the same time. They were best friends, and in all of Hiyori's memories Love was always there right next to Kirio. She had never questioned how deep their friendship ran or even wondered if the two were something more. She had just accepted things as they were.

She felt him lay a hand atop her head in a comforting gesture. Hiyori leant into the familiar motion. He hadn't had to comfort her like this since she was younger. Before she was a lieutenant. When she was still in the Academy herself, trying to act tough around her older peers but falling apart because of their harsh insults at home. Kirio would tell her to just ignore them, they were just jealous. Love would lay a hand on her head. It was simple and perfect and Hiyori would go back to those harsh years of being ostracized just to once more know with certainty that the people who meant most to her would never leave.

"This doesn't have to be a bad thing."

"I don't see how it _can't,_" she whispered through gritted teeth. Nothing would be the same after Kirio leaves.

"Well, think of all the things Kirio has set rules against. With her gone, you'll be able to do all those things," he encouraged. Hiyori's eyes turned to slits, the barest sliver of gold shining through. She pulled away from Love's hand saying," You know what? You're right. Once she's gone I'll be able to do whatever the hell I want to."

"That's not exactly what I-"

"Why should I even wait for her to leave?" Hiyori crowed, a mad light in her eyes as she hopped on the balls of her feet with energy. " I can do whatever I want _right now_. Kirio doesn't have a say anymore. Right, Love?"

"I guess, but-"

"I'm gonna break one of her rules," she said gleefully, "right now."

"Does it really have to be now?" Love asked, sounding exhausted.

"Of course it has to be right now!" she snapped." Kirio needs to see before she leaves what I'll be doing while she's gone. And she can do nothing to stop it!"

Hiyori cackled, rubbing her hands together. She already knew which one of Kirio's rules she was going to break. It was the one Hiyori had protested the most. Kirio had tattoos, why shouldn't she? Whenever she had asked, her Captain had always said that she had regretted getting the swirls on her cheeks right after she got them. Hiyori had begged her to relent but she had always been turned down. Well, now she was finally going to break that number one rule.

Hiyori was going to get a tattoo. She didn't know of what, all she knew was that she was getting one.

"Where's the nearest tattoo place?" Hiyori barked up at Love.

He sighed in defeat, broad shoulders sagging," Follow me."

For once, Hiyori listened to that command.

/

It was a small little shack, tucked away on a side street near the Academy. The wood was rotting and the door had completely fallen off its hinges. It looked way too dark for the shining and pristine buildings that flanked it on all sides. The inside reeked of ink, sweat, and alcohol; Hiyori nearly gagged once she took a step in. She shot a questioning glance up at Love, who just shrugged," This is where most of us get our tattoos."

Hiyori suspected as much. Love wouldn't just drag her to any random place.

The owner of this shop was tall, heavily muscled, covered from head to toe in tattoos with piercing littering his brows and ears. He didn't offer his name or any kind of greeting, only grumbled out," What'll it be? Tat' or piercing?"

It annoyed and angered Hiyori that he was looking at the man standing next to her. It was as if she didn't exist. She stalked forward, roughly whacking his chest," Oi! Asshole! I'm the customer here!"

He didn't look phased and just snapped," Same question still applies."

"I'm here for a tattoo," Hiyori announced proudly, crossing her hands of her chest.

"That's fantastic," he said sarcastically," where and what?"

She hadn't really thought of that. She had only focused on the fact she was getting a tattoo, not any specific details. Hiyori tilted her head, thinking. She didn't want anything trashy or gory, shockingly. She wanted something tasteful and elegant that would last and she wouldn't get tired of. Hiyori went through a list of her favorite things: beating Shinji up, her Division, fighting, Kirio, flowers, and swords. The only one on that list that was considered elegant was the flowers. She didn't like gardening, but Hiyori had always had a fondness for seeing flowers in bloom during spring. All different shades of colors, different types, each having their own particular smell that perfumed the air. Kirio enjoyed gardening and she always had flowers everywhere in the Twelfth Division.

Hiyori pointed to a spot half inch below the center of her newly forming breasts," I want a weave of lily of the valleys and thistles right here in the shape of a heart. Nothing big."

Her two favorite flowers in a simple design. Hiyori felt she could live with this and not regret it.

"You do realize you'll have to take your kosode off?" the man asked.

Her face heated up, a man had never seen her topless before and some stranger would get the privilege of being first. She pushed forward with false bravado," So? That's f-fine with me."

Love remained stoic, but she could tell he didn't like this one bit.

The tattoo artist shrugged," Lie down and take it off then," he gestured towards a tattered reclined chair.

"You don't have to be so casual about it," Hiyori snarled, stalking over and plopping down into the chair. Her hands trembled as she slowly undid the ties that held her kosode together. It started to fall, revealing scrawny freckled shoulders. At the last minute Hiyori clenched her fists in the front, keeping it closed. Was getting back at Kirio really worth this?

"I don't have all day," the man complained, a small smirk on his face. He didn't think she would follow through with this.

Hiyori ground her teeth together in agitation. She could make decisions on her own. She didn't need anyone's approval. Not from Kirio, or Love, or Shinji, and especially not this asswipe. She'd show them. Without any hesitation, the pigtailed girl let the kosode drop. Then, she unwound her bindings just enough for him to be able to mark her skin. Just a slight swell of breast peeked out, Hiyori had made sure not to show anymore than was necessary. She glanced up to see Love had turned away, probably regretting ever talking to her today. She laid down, even though she still self consciously lifted her hands to cup and block her breasts from being ogled at.

The tattoo artist snorted, leaning forward to sanitize the area. She shivered as the cool liquid hit her skin.

"What's so funny?" Hiyori grumbled. She fixed her honeyed eyes on a large hole in the ceiling where the afternoon sunlight filtered through, creating spirals of abstract orange and yellow along the walls.

"So much drama over nothing, you're flat as a board."

She really hated this man. Possibly even more than she hated Shinji. In fact, if he wasn't about to give her a wicked tattoo she'd beat his ass into the dirt, set his little shop on fire, and skip away merrily. Alas, Hiyori couldn't do that to him. Yet. His life now depended on whether he would do an awesome job on the tattoo or not. If he failed, then she could beat his ass.

Hiyori sucked in a hissing breath between her teeth when he first set the needle upon her skin. It stung more than anything else, a shock to the pale virgin skin as the ink was plunged beneath. She continued to gaze at the kaleidoscope of light on the walls, finding hidden patterns and images as it hit the rough wood. All the while the tiny bites continued on her pale skin, each layer darker than the last. The pain mixed with the light show became a strange enchantment, lulling Hiyori into an almost dreamlike state. She didn't think, didn't worry. Just nothingness was in her head.

The light had changed from sunset to silver when the artist lent back rolling his tight shoulders with a popping sound, and said," Alright we're done here."

Hiyori blinked the haze out of her eyes, sitting up, a tight pinched-pain feeling where the tattoo was. She turned to see Love seated on the floor in the corner, snoring lightly.

Hiyori yawned," Can I see it?"

The man nodded, clearly too exhausted to be a smartass," Here." He then handed her a small mirror. She snatched it from him with quick fingers, tilting it and trying to find the right angle.

It was simple and complicated at the same time. Definitely more realistic than what she had thought it would look like. The tangle of stems were interwoven in a delicate manner, no gaps of skin showing through, colored and shaded for a dark fantasy style. Green where freshest, some leaves brown and shriveled where the plants were dying, nearly black where it faded into shadows. The flowers were shaded the lightest, shining like beacons against of light against the darker stems. The lilies were white, pure and looked like you could reach out and brush the velvety petals. The thistles were the perfect balance of simultaneously looking prickly and fluffy.

Hiyori had to give it to the asshole, he was one hell of an artist. She only nodded her head to show her satisfaction, tossing the mirror back carelessly at him. She slipped her kosode back on, not tying it, the fabric rubbing uncomfortably against the raw skin.

She paid him the four hundred kan she owed and walked over to Love, nudging him awake with her foot.

"I wasn't asleep," he grumbled, standing up and stretching with a yawn.

"Yeah, right," Hiyori snorted, before asking proudly," Wanna see my wicked cool tat'?"

"Do you think I sat there for five hours not to see it?" Love said in exasperation. Hiyori inwardly smiled. She knew he hadn't stayed because he wanted to see her tattoo. Love had stayed because Kirio had asked him to watch her and because he genuinely worried about her and didn't want to leave her alone.

She easily pushed the kosode open just enough for Love to see the inked skin.

"That's interesting," he commented thoughtfully. Hiyori frowned. Just interesting?

"They're my two favorite flowers," she explained, thinking he didn't understand the significance of the tattoo.

Love scratched his head, clearly becoming uncomfortable. He looked like he wanted to ask or say something.

"Well?" Hiyori demanded," What's wrong? Spit it out."

"Do you-" he started but then cleared his throat," Do you have a crush on Shinji?"

Her jaw unhinged, flopping uselessly. Her mind went blank, only this blankness was a dull pounding of anger in her skull. Unlike before, she could comprehend the question, but that didn't mean it made any sense to her. People must be really off their rocker if they think she has any kind of romantic feeling towards that dickhead.

Hiyori sprang onto him, howling," HOW DO YOU EVEN GET THAT FUCKING QUESTION FROM A TATTOO?!"

Love caught her midair, hooking his arms under her armpits and holding her an arms length away. Hiyori struggled, determined to rip his glasses off and claw his eyes out. They clearly weren't functioning right anymore if they sent signals like that towards his brain that led to such ridiculous conclusions.

"Because those two flowers," he explained slowly, as if talking to a child, sending her into a whole new fit of rage," are the symbols of the Fifth and Twelfth Divisions."

Hiyori froze, mid-clawing at the air in front of his face. She had the symbols of their two Divisions permanently carved into her skin.

_In the shape of a fucking heart._

She was starting to emphasize with Kirio's regret over her tattoos.

Hiyori slumped in Love's grip and fixed him with a harsh look, pointing a deliberate finger at him," We never mention this to _anyone._ Got it?"

"Sure," he still looked questioning.

Hiyori curled her lip in disgust," I don't have a fucking crush on the princess. Never have, never will."

Satisfied, Love set her down.

She sulked, realizing that she'd never be able to show off her scandalous tattoo. Damn, and she was really starting to cheer up.

/

**Special Bonus Scene:**

Shinji stood up, tipping his head back and pinching his nose between his pointer finger and thumb trying to stop the bleeding. Hiyori had one hell of a punch. So much pain for such a simple request. Kirio owed him.

"Well," Kirio mused as she sauntered in," looks like you cheered her up."

Shinji scowled," That midget of yours is only ever happy whenever someone else is miserable."

She sat down at Hiyori's desk, reaching out to lift up a picture frame, smiling softly at whatever scene it depicted," My sweet girl isn't as harsh as you make her out to be. I'm sure you're just a special case. She never lashes out at anyone the way she does to you."

"Joyous me," he groaned, feeling guilt creep I as he thought of how he had provoked her into a fight this time. Because Kirio had asked him to cheer her up and he only knew of that one way to make her happy.

Kirio looked up at him and he suddenly realized how dark the skin under her eyes were, her eyes red and blood shot. How her hands shook as she held the picture frame.

"I-I should have been the one to come in here," she murmured roughly, a wet sheen glazing over her eyes," instead of taking the cowards way out and sending you and Love."

Shinji wondered how Love had gotten the easy job of simply taking Hiyori out on a walk. They must be having a blast. He inwardly shook those thoughts off, focusing on Kirio. She looked tired and defeated. Broken. Like every light in her world had gone out.

"I tried, you know, to convince them to let me bring her with me," she continued in a whisper, "but they said it was forbidden. Said she had nothing to offer of importance to the Soul Society that should be preserved."

"That's a little harsh," he commented lowly, a flash of anger passing over his features. Despite being an annoying monkey, no one had the right to just toss Hiyori to the side or judge her like trash.

Kirio continued on as if he hadn't spoken," Hiyori thinks I'm cruel. She thinks I'm leaving without a second thought. She won't listen to anything I have to say. I need her to know that I thought over this decision for _months _trying to balance out what was my greater responsibility. To my daughter or to the Soul Society."

Shinji nodded. He couldn't emphasize with what she went through. He had never had anything or anyone that would make him question his loyalties and priorities. The Fifth Division Captain knew his station, was proud of it, and couldn't even begin to imagine ever wanting to leave it.

Her eyes flashed up to his, a steely resolve within them and she rose, her voice hard," That's when I realized. This is Hiyori's home and I should do everything within my power to ensure her happiness. I have to protect the Soul Society for _her. _Even if I have to leave and make her temporarily sad in the process."

"I highly doubt this will be temporary," Shinji cut in smoothly, his own resentment for Kirio leaving making him forget to hold his tongue. " She won't just miss you for a week, Kirio. You're her mother, Hiyori's not going to let this go so easily. She may _never _get over this. Abandonment does wonders for someone's mental health."

"She will," snapped the other Captain, clearly hanging onto the one thing that justified her leaving. A single tear slowly dripped down her face," It's not like I'm leaving her alone. She has the Division, Love, and you to look after her."

Shinji was pretty sure Hiyori would take offense at the 'look after her' comment.

"Me?" he couldn't help questioning with a twinge of surprise. Love he could understand. Hiyori and him had a strange sibling like bond and they both loved Kirio and that would probably only strengthen after Kirio leaves. Shinji was just the guy who pissed her off and let her beat him up for it.

"Yes, _you._" Kirio laughed, a small light in her eyes, " Don't tell me you haven't noticed."

"Noticed _what?_" Shinji squawked.

She just gave him a soft mischievous smile," Oh, you'll see what I see in time."

"_SEE WHAT?"_

Kirio just continued to smile as she walked past the flustered Captain, wiping her tears away. She knows she's leaving Hiyori in good hands. They might not see the seed was planted, but she would. Shinji would start questioning what Kirio was talking about and he would observe Hiyori more closely. He might just pick up on the signs himself. Hiyori already had these emotions, she only needed someone at put words to them to make her realize what they were. Kirio did all she could to ensure her daughter's happiness. Including messing in her love life. She wouldn't get to in the future, so this was her only chance.

They would find their way towards each other eventually. Kirio could tell.

A mother knows these things.

/

**Author's Note:** Well, so what do you guys think so far?

Kirio shipped ShiYori before it was even a thing. Love is a badass big brother. Shinji has no idea what's going on. Hiyori is depressed and angry.

A pretty good chapter, if I do say so myself.

I hope you enjoyed reading!

* * *

**Chapter 3: Kisuke**

* * *

Hiyori didn't know if the other Soul Reapers were aware of the fact that she hated her new Captain with every fiber of her being. They never seemed to take her seriously when she would rant about his antics. How he was a useless, lazy, unarticulated excuse of a man that did not deserve the honor of being titled 'Captain'. The people who heard this speech only smiled, thinking she was just like any other subordinate complaining about the person in charge. They didn't think she actually _hated _her Captain.

As his lieutenant, Hiyori was forced to be in his company for ungodly amounts of time that only continued to solidify her hatred for Kisuke Urahara. Nearly every little thing he did grated on her nerves. The way he smiled when she cursed him out, the way she couldn't read his messy handwriting, the way he would disappear for weeks on end into his laboratory expecting her to keep the Division running. The list went on and on. Hell, she couldn't even stand the sound of his voice.

Out of all the things the girl hated, the company Kisuke kept was what _really _drove her insane. Apparently lazy and useless people drew towards one another. Which explained why Shinji was spending more and more time at the Twelfth Division instead of running his own. Hiyori felt a little bit of empathy towards Aizen now, understanding the pain of having to deal with an incompetent Captain.

It was spring, the aroma of flowers and new growth wafted in from her open window. Hiyori gazed longingly outside, the sunlight spilling inside her office teasing her with its warmth. She impatiently tapped the tip of her pen against the hardwood of her desk, chewing on her bottom lip. It was a perfect day to be training with her Division; kicking their asses, laughing, maybe even had a picnic under the sakura trees at the end of the day to commemorate the first warm day of the year.

Hiyori scowled, forcing her honeyed-gaze back on the paperwork she was working on. She was currently on a form that detailed the Division's budget for the next six months. It was around ten pages long and made her want to rip her hair out from how stupid the questions were. They were all excessively long and very roundabout in getting to the point. The lieutenant wanted to bash in the person's skull who wrote this damn form.

She also wants to bash in the person's skull who is supposed to be doing his own fucking paperwork.

She filled out the answer to another dumbass question. _Is it necessary for the Twelfth Division to require a destruction of property budget? Hell, yeah. _She would be needing that kan soon, if Kisuke never showed up and she had to go on a rampage to find him. Hiyori hadn't seen the idiot man since yesterday, when she had dropped off _her _paperwork to get his signature of approval. He had been in his lab working on one of his stupid projects and had half consciously scrawled a poor excuse of handwriting onto the bottoms of the reports. Now she asshat is missing in action. The minute he shows up she is going to found his face into the fucking cement.

Abruptly, Hiyori gripped her pen to the point it snaps, trickles of black ink dripping down slowly like blood. She bares her teeth in a feral snarl. Fuck this. Fuck sitting around doing Kisuke's paperwork. She refuses to help that bastard out in any way. Matter of fact, she is going to hunt him down, tie him down, and _make _him do his damn work for once. Hiyori wants to be the one to slack off today and not give a shit about this procedural _bullcrap._

Determined, she clutches the forms in her fist and begins her hunt.

/

"Ah, the sakura in full bloom certainly are beautiful, aren't they, Captain Hirako?" questioned Kisuke as he took a sip of sake, leaning back against the warm wooden beam of the Fifth Division Captain's porch. A gentle breeze ruffled his unruly blonde hair, bringing with it the scent of the sakura flowers that were blossoming among the many trees in the large yard.

"For the love of sake," his companion whined," would you drop the 'Captain Hirako' and just call me Shinji? Will I have to tell you this every time we talk?"

"Whatever you say, Shinji," Kisuke said, smiling inwardly. He just enjoys annoying his fellow Captain.

"Much better," Shinji grumbled, pouring some more sake for himself," It's lucky we finished our paperwork in time to enjoy the weather, huh?"

Kisuke shrugged," I didn't really have any paperwork to do."

The Fifth Division Captain snorted," You did the same thing I did and shoved it on your lieutenant."

He smiled nervously," I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about! A hardworking Captain like me would never force my lieutenant to do my work for me!"

"You're worse of a liar than Hiyori."

"You do realize the more you say things like that the more you rile her up?"

"She's a real brat and you know it," Shinji cut him off bluntly, taking a drink of sake straight from the jug," An angry, violent, bratty monkey-looking lieutenant."

"But also very honest. You have to admit, with all the politics involved with being a Captain, it's nice that at least one person will never lie to you or stab you in the back," Kisuke defended his lieutenant who, although exhausting to deal with at times, he found to be an outstanding lieutenant. It was like she had been raised from birth for the job. Hearing what he had about his predecessor and her relationship, he was almost certain that was true.

"Eh, you have this big idea that just cause Hiyori screams before she thinks that she always speaks the truth," the darker blonde smirked," but there are times when she does lie."

"Like when?"

"Like when she says she hates candy," Shinji stated.

Kisuke stared at him," But she told me she hates it."

Shinji grimaced, remembering when Kisuke had first become Captain and had tried to butter up Hiyori by giving her sweets to get out of doing paperwork. She hadn't been pleased. Long story short, Kisuke had ended up being force fed the candy.

"Yeah, well, she lied."

He abstractedly sipped his sake," You can tell when she's lying because she won't look you in the eyes. She'll focus on a person's eyebrows or find a way to get out of the conversation right after she lies."

Kisuke followed his lead, but kept an eye on Shinji. How long and how closely would you have to observe someone to notice such minute details? And the way the other man had stated it so calmly, as if he were stating why the seasons change or why it rains. He wondered if Shinji realized how abnormal it was to notice such things in another person. It almost seemed like Shinji was-

A sudden wave of murderous spiritual pressure slammed down and Kisuke dropped his train of thought(and sake) to dive into Shinji's house slamming the door shut behind him. Ah, well. He knew Hiyori would hunt for him eventually.

"Hey," Shinji complained, looking sorrowfully at the spilt sake," that was really _expensive."_

"I am sorry for the sake," Urahara's muffled voice traveled through the thin walls. "I'll be sure to pay you back."

"Eh, don't worry about it."

The murderous energy rippled closer at a frightening pace.

"You know, she might have accepted the candy if you hadn't bought botamochi and higashi. Hiyori hates those with a passion. She prefers manju and her favorite is goma dango," Shinji commented.

Urahara slid open the door a little to look at the Fifth Division Captain," Why are you telling me this?"

"So that way when she beats yer sorry ass she won't stay as mad as long. Giving her treats doesn't always work but they might distract her long enough so you can run away before she kicks the shit out of you another time."

/

Hiyori landed on Shinji's porch with a loud crash, a few boards splintering under the force. Her eye twitched at the feeling of liquid under her toes. Sake, she presumed. Slacking off on work to get drunk off of his mother fuckin' ass.

"You do realize you're going to be paying to repair my porch," Shinji remarked dryly.

Hiyori pulled back her fist and slammed it into his face, blood spurting form his nose. She leapt at him as he toppled over, her knobby knees digging into his chest, one arm posed to strike again and the other grasping at the front of his robes. Her golden eyes glowed maliciously, lip pulled back into a full sneer showcasing her fang threateningly.

"Where is he?" she growled between clenched teeth, muscles tightening in her arms as she readied herself to hit him again." I know you know where he is."

"Where's who?"

Hiyori launched her fist at his face. Shinji deftly caught it and sat up, twisting them around to where he had an arm wrapped around her neck and a hand harshly pinching her cheek. She struggled and hissed, lashing out with sharp nails and strong legs.

"Damnit Shinji," she sputtered." Let me go and tell me where that dumbass is."

"What's the magic word?" he sang.

"FUCK YOU!"

Shinji grimaced in disgust," Not in a million years, monkey."

The girl's face turned bright red and she wriggled around and nailed him in the crotch.

"LET GO OF ME YOU PERVERTED BALDY!"

She leapt away to the other edge of the porch and crouched there as Shinji lay on the porch obviously biting back wails of pain. Hiyori smirked. That's what he deserved for being such an idiot. She stalked over to him, avoiding the spilt sake, and asked in a deceptively calm voice," Where is he?"

Curled up in the fetal position, Shinji groaned out," Why don't you just sniff around for him? I hear monkeys are supposed to have a good sense of smell."

Hiyori kicked him in the ribs. Even on the ground in pain that man can't curb his insults. If he didn't answer her question soon she'd have no choice but to put him out of his misery. She harshly dragged him up by his treasured golden locks while he squawked in indignation," Not the hair! _Anything but the hair you monster!"_

As per usual, she ignored him.

"Baldy," she rolled the insult off her tongue, letting it sink in. "Tell me where he is before I cut off all yer damn hair."

The vain bastard snarled," Where the hell ya think he is? He's at his own Division."

Hiyori stiffened, the pupils of her eyes narrowing to pinpricks in her rage as she realized that Kisuke's spiritual pressure was indeed at the Thirteenth Division. That sneaky fucking bastard. A warm breeze fluttered her hair in the wind. She slowly released her hold on Shinji's hair, the silken strands flowing out from between her stiff fingers. The Fifth Division Captain sighed in relief.

"I'm gonna kill him."

/

Kisuke carefully filled in the paperwork piled on his desk. He couldn't help but wonder who invented such ridiculous questions for the budget. The Captain nervously ducked his head as the blast of murderous energy cracked like a whip and headed back towards his Division. He really was screwed this time.

While he waited on his impending doom, Kisuke found himself analyzing the strange relationship between the Fifth Division Captain and his lieutenant. At first glance he had assumed they hated each other, as all they seemed to do was argue and fight. The longer he had been Captain and the more he had observed the two together it had been apparent that the two shared a degree of affection for one another. He would like to say they also respected one another, but that seemed a little too farfetched. Kisuke had then assumed they must share a sibling-like bond. Similar to the one he shared with Yoruichi except much more violent.

Now Kisuke is starting to have a feeling maybe there's more to the two of them beyond that. If they saw one another as siblings, then why did Shinji get such a distant look in his eye when just talking about her? Why did Hiyori seem to latch herself to Shinji's side during all of her free time? And the way Shinji was always such a huge flirt when Hiyori wasn't there, yet when she was he dropped all romantic pretenses and focused just on her. The two of them seem to revolve around one another like two magnets.

Of course, Kisuke logically knew that Hiyori had just technically reached the age where young girls were allowed to date. Around thirteen or so in human years. Shinji, by comparison, was in his early twenties(in human years). It did seem a little strange for them to see each other in a romantic sense when you factor in how far apart they must be in Soul Society years. Well, actually, not that strange. When the inhabitants were expected life spans of around six hundred years, it wasn't unusual for your partner to be a few decades or centuries younger than you.

But all of this was just based on how he was hypothesizing Shinji felt about Hiyori. All purely speculation, of course.

Hiyori might have a crush on the older man, but it was slightly more difficult to tell. She was always belittling him, beating him up, and just in general being a pain in the ass. The little blonde almost seemed to borderline hate Shinji at times. Hiyori was also immature and emotionally unstable her moods rocking abruptly and at times making her act strangely. The poor girl might not understand that what she felt was love and just fueled it into rage. Girls around her age tend to do that, he recalled, thinking of Soi Fon and her strange crush on him.

/

Hiyori calmly walked into the office, her spiritual pressure tightly under control in her cold rage. Those who passed her in the hallway had promptly fled the premises in fear, many recognizing the deadly serious look in her eyes. Her lips twitched and she had to force herself from smiling in delightful malice.

Kisuke was seated at his desk, working on his own damn paperwork-like he should have been doing all fucking day.

She bunched the muscles in her legs, preparing to spring at her prey when a delicious aroma distracted her from her killing intent. Hiyori sniffed the air, looking very much animalistic as she followed the smell over to her desk. There, a plate full of goma dango rested next to a pitcher of green tea. She cautiously reached forward and sipped a little. Her favorite brand of green tea, too. She cast a suspicious look at her Captain, who was still ignoring her and working.

Slowly she slid into her seat behind her desk, also noticing the lack of paperwork on it. Hiyori grasped the end of the stick that held one of the dango, bringing it up to her face, twisting it between her fingers and sniffing it.

"I didn't poison them," Kisuke's voice cracked through the silent room like thunder.

Golden eyes bore down on him, a hot and cold molten glare that made him turn back to his paperwork. She bit off the first dango on the stick.

And nearly melted in pleasure. It was still warm and gooey-sweet and salty flavors bursting in her mouth. She closed her eyes and leant back into her large cushioned seat, curling her legs underneath her. Hiyori munched on the treat, reveling in the silence and relaxing.

Her ochre eyes slit open, looking at her Captain. He had stopped his work and was doing that creepy thing where he just looked at you and smiled. Normally, she'd punch him in his ugly mug but she was feeling merciful at the moment.

"I apologize for skipping out on work today."

"Mmm-hm," she managed to get out as she chewed on the next goma dango.

"You know, I really have to thank Shinji for giving me the idea to make it up to you."

Hiyori scowled, thinking of the bloody mess of a Captain she had left at the Fifth Division. The small girl also wondered how the hell the dumb Baldy had known what her favorite snack was. She couldn't recall there ever being a time when he would have been present to see her order them.

"He kept on fussing at me for not being here."

Well, that was a pot calling the kettle black. Hiyori knew Shinji was skimping off his work as much as he could.

"The two of you seem to be very close," he observed.

Hiyori sipped a bit of her tea. Cold, the way she liked it when eating warm things.

"Do you have a crush on him?"

She spat out her tea in shock, the liquid getting all over her delicious goma dango and her uniform. Her muscles clenched up, all form of relaxation gone. Her small hands formed into fists. Golden eyes hardened.

She leapt at him with such force that her chair propelled to the side and through the wall. Kisuke's eyes widened in horror, but before she could wrap her fingers around his throat he shunpoed away.

"I'll take that as a maybe," Kisuke called as he shunpoed out the door.

Hiyori howled and followed suit, intent on ridding herself of that man once and for all.

/

Omake:

"Uh, Lady Yoruichi?"

"What Soi Fon?'

"Why are Kisuke and Lieutenant Sarugaki wrestling in front of our baracks?

"Dunno."

"Should I stop her from killing him? She's even unsheathed her zanpakuto…"

"Nah, he probably deserves it. Don't worry, you're love will be fine."

"I DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON THAT MAN!"

/-/

**Author's Note:**

Kisuke really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut. I kind' ve wanted to shed the spotlight on Shinji a little since he is the other half of this pairing. I also like writing about Shinji and Kisuke interacting.

I also enjoyed writing about Kisuke and Hiyori interacting. I was kinda worried that I wouldn't be able to keep them in character but shockingly I found Kisuke to be a very easy character to have with dialogue.

And yes, I do ship Soi Fon and Urahara. No, that relationship will probably not be brought up anytime in this story again(unless my muse tells me so and so far it's saying no.)

I hope you enjoyed reading! I will try to update faster, especially since I'm out of school for the summer!

* * *

**Chapter 4: Yoruichi**

* * *

"Let me go!" Hiyori screeched, violently thrashing in midair as the Commander of the Stealth Force held her by the back of her shihakusho like a scolded kitten. Yoruichi just chuckled at the younger girl's protests. A few feet away lay a bloody and bruised Kisuke, one hand trying to stop the blood from flowing out of his nose and the other grasping his crotch where Hiyori had nailed him spectacularly before she had felt she should interfere.

"Got a fiery one here, eh, Kisuke?" she questioned before casually tossing the blonde brat towards Soi Fon," Take her to go train. Get her to let off some steam before coming back."

Hiyori positively howled as her protégé smoothly wrapped her hands around the girl's waist and instantly shunpoed away. Yoruichi waited patiently until the girl's shrieks were no longer ringing in her ears before she turned to Kisuke and scoffed," You let a child beat you up? What kind of a Captain are you?"

"A bad one," Kisuke moaned and rolled over, ass in the air and face pressed in the dirt.

"What did you do this time?" she asked while shaking her head in defeat.

"I made inferences about Lil' Hiyori's romantic life."

Her golden eyes narrowed to and she kicked him in the ass sending him skidding into a tree. She was surprised when the tree didn't snap upon impact. Either her kicks were getting weaker or Kisuke's head wasn't as hard today. Of course, she had little to no concern over how beaten her friend was. He should know better and have more social graces than to meddle in a young girl's social life. She had thought he had learned that when they were teenagers and had kept trying to set her up on dates. Yoruichi, much like Hiyori, had not been happy.

Kisuke had pulled himself into a sitting position, leaning against the tree. He saw the angry look on her face and hurriedly added," Not like that! I simply asked her if she had a crush on Shinji!"

Yoruichi paused, having already lifted her leg for another strike except this one aimed for his face," Shinji? As in Captain of the Fifth Division Shinji?"

"Yeah."

The violet-haired women sent the promised kick to his face, the back of his head crushing into the bark, sending small pieces flying. Kisuke bent over and moaned," Why must you people always aim for my _face?"_

"It has a certain appeal as a target," Yoruichi answered, flexing her leg. She cocked her head to the side in a feline manner, golden eyes widening in curiosity. Kisuke could practically see the hellcat just beneath the surface.

"Why would you ask such a stupid question?" she said, still looking curious as she cocked her head to the other side. She lifted one elegant violet brow inquiringly," Especially when the answer is obviously _yes."_

Kisuke stared up at her incredulously, mouth open in disbelief before he squawked," You knew?"

"Kirio figured it out first. Mother's intuition or something," she waved her hands in an abstract manner. Yoruichi's extent towards maternal instincts began and ended with her little Bya-boy. Which basically meant she knew when he was fixing to do something stupid(that particular sense went off _all_ the damn time).

"In my opinion," she continued," I think he's too old for her right now. She should start with guys closer to her age first."

/

Hiyori tripped and righted herself when she was abruptly set down on her feet. That creepy bob-haired chick stood across from her, looking far too relaxed for her liking. She was dressed in a tight head-to-toe black outfit, a fold of fabric covering the bottom half of her face. Hiyori tried to recall ever seeing the other girl before but only drew up a blank.

"What rank are you?" she asked abruptly, keeping one hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto.

Dark eyes narrowed coldly at her and a shockingly girly voice answered," I have no rank. I am a member of the Stealth Force. We have no need for such petty titles. There is only the Commander and the leaders of the forces."

"Oh really?" she murmured. Hiyori didn't find she particularly cared for this girl. She was just so plain and under assuming. The blonde also got the vibe that she was one of those stickler for the rules and annoyingly loyal to a fault types. "Then I guess that means you aren't a leader. Pretty weak of Captain Shihoin to send you out to spar with a Lieutenant. She must really not think much of me."

"She probably doesn't," observed the girl, fiddling with her sleeve.

Hiyori bit back a cunning retort. One that would probably get her court marshaled for disrespecting a noble and superior. It would have been unfair, too. She didn't think very highly of the Stealth Force or of its leader, but she did respect it. That Shihoin woman had also managed to keep that dumbass Kisuke in line for the whole time he'd been in her Division so she supposed the woman did deserve some deference.

"If I may ask-why were you beating up your Captain?"

The blonde gave her a long, measuring look. This answer could go over really well or really bad.

"Because he's a fuckin' dumbass that needs to be knocked down a few notches."

A light tittering sound escaped the girl and for a second Hiyori thought she was choking on that stupid fabric covering her face. The girl was bent over, one hand on the tree behind her for support. Her dark bangs shadowed her eyes from view.

"Are you alright?" Hiyori really didn't want to have to explain to Captain Shihoin that her subordinate had died from shock.

Then the girl pulled down the fabric and gasped for air. That was when the blonde realized that she wasn't choking, but laughing. A strange, free sound coming from such an uptight appearing person. What an unusual girl. Hiyori tilted her head to the side and asked," What's your deal?"

"N-nothing," the girl worked out between giggles, her dark eyes dancing with mischief," it's just that nothing makes me happier than seeing that man in pain. I had thought that Lady Yoruichi's favoritism for him would cause him to gain an even more swelled ego. Now cruel irony has finally leaned into my favor and delight."

A vicious smirk tore across Hiyori's face. She took back what she said about the girl being plain. This chick was twisted and obviously hated Kisuke as much as she did. It didn't matter that she was uptight, the blonde had finally found a kindred spirit. There was only one more thing to test, though…

"Since we're here, shouldn't we train?" she asked, ochre eyes glowing at the thought. Hiyori's hand prepared to unsheathe her zanpakuto when the girl shook her head.

"No swords. Just hoho and hakuda."

Hiyori shrugged, slipping her sword from its place at her side and tossing it into the grass carelessly. She really didn't care how they fought. As a Lieutenant of the Court Guard Squads she prided herself on being efficient in nearly all forms of combat. Her kido probably could be a little more refined, but she knew in the other areas she was first rate.

She got into a fighting stance and bared her fang," Bring it."

Hiyori barely had a moment to prepare herself before the girl tensed and flashed out of view. A voice said next to her ear," My name's Soi Fon, by the way."

She whipped around and pushed herself off the ground, aiming a well placed spin-kick where her target's head should've been. Soi Fon grabbed her leg and Hiyori plummeted downward, but she quickly pushed down one of her hands onto the ground. With the new momentum, she arced back up managing to clip the other girl on the side of the head before she shunpoed away, releasing the blonde's captured limb.

"Mine's Hiyori," she called into the air, shunpoing up onto an overlooking branch.

And so the match began.

/

"Oooh, your little Lieutenant is pretty good," Yorucihi observed, shrouded in the darkness of the trees canopy, only a few dappled pieces of light glowing on her caramel skin. Kisuke sat on the branch across from her, his legs swinging in the air.

"Yeah, she is," he agreed.

She watched as Hiyori blocked an attack from above by using her right arm to stop the blow and the other to land a punch in Soi Fon's stomach. Soi Fon maneuvered her body to lighten the blow and hooked her leg around Hiyori's arm to harshly unbalance her. She used the opportunity to uppercut Hiyori in the jaw.

"But not as good as my Soi Fon," Yoruichi added with pride. She took back what she had thought earlier about maternal instincts. If she had to choose, her two babies would be Bya-boy and her Little Bee. She gave Kisuke a sidelong look. The violet-haired woman considered that she might actually have three in her brood and one of them was determined to stay in the nest.

The two companions watched the fight for several more minutes. For every strike between the two girls there was a counterattack. Soi Fon was relying mainly on her speed, agility, and ability to blend into the shadows. Hiyori matched her in agility and what she lacked in speed was easily made up in strength. Her blows seemed to have a tremendous amount of power within them, managing to knock Soi Fon back a few steps or sometimes even temporarily unbalance her. Both of them were sporting blooming bruises, busted lips, and bloody knuckles. It was impossible to tell which one was the most beaten up.

Yoruichi had assumed that with Hiyori's reliance on her zanpakuto and her near mastery of zanjutsu(she would bet kan that the girl was on her way to gaining bankai)that the blonde had neglected other areas of combat. She was pleased to have been proven wrong. In fact, she thought critically, with a little guidance Yoruichi was sure the girl would even be Stealth Force material.

"If she ever gets tired of the science shtick, tell her that there's always a position ready in the Stealth Force if she ever wants to jump ship," Yoruichi commented offhandedly, tucking a few violet strands behind her ear.

"I've only been a Captain for a year and you already want to steal my Lieutenant," Kisuke whined," why can't you ever stick to your own toys?"

"Because yours are better to play with.," she answered laughing before considering more seriously," No, but really I need a new Lieutenant. Marenoshin keeps on saying he's going to retire to work full-time at the family business."

"He used to say that all the time even when I was Third Seat. You know he's never going to actually quit."

"One can only hope," she sighed. She perked up when a familiar spiritual energy flashed into the compound. Bya-boy must've found out she had stolen all of his fancy hair ties while he was asleep last night. Poor boy probably wanted to get revenge. She hoped he wasn't here hoping to get the hair ties back because Yoruichi had burned all of them.

He just look so much better without stupid ornamentation in his hair.

The violent-haired woman flared her spiritual pressure in his direction that way he wouldn't storm into the barracks yelling his head off. She snapped it back in quickly once he had gotten a feel for her general location but not enough to really locate her.

/

Hiyori tried to blink the blood and sweat out of her eyes, not wanting to risk lowering her guard to wipe her brow. That sneaky little bitch would take advantage of any opportunity. She scanned the trees, looking for her opponent.

A dark flash and Soi Fon appeared across from her on another branch, looking just as exhausted and bloody. One of her eyes was sporting an already dark purple-blue splotchy bruise and her top lip was swollen. Hiyori knew she was just as horrendous, her hair out of its pigtails, small cuts from being punched into the tree scraped along the side of her face. A large cut on her brow dribbled blood excessively.

The blonde prepared herself to launch into another attack when another blur landed on a branch between them.

"What the he-"

"Lord Kuchiki!" Soi Fon fell into an awkward bow as she tried to remain balanced on the branch.

Hiyori did a double take as she took in the boy in front of her. Her jaw dropped in shock as one thought hit her like a ton of bricks. It was a thought she was sure she would never think.

_He's so _ _hot_ _!_

The teenage boy-appearing only slightly older than her, more around Soi Fon's age- was tall and slender with lightly corded muscles. His hair, down and tumbling silkily around his shoulders, was raven in color and framed his sharp features perfectly. He had grey eyes, flashing and roiling like storm clouds.

Hiyori felt her heart thud painfully in her chest and her cheeks flamed into a bright red.

"You!" he pointed accusingly at Soi Fon," Where is that werecat master of yours?"

"Lady Yoruichi?" the dark-haired girl puzzled. " She's supposed to be back at the compound."

"Tch," he scoffed angrily, his fists shaking, muttering under his breath," stupid she-devil, testing my patience-"

Then the image of perfection shunpo'd away.

Hiyori collapsed against the tree, her legs dangling on either side of the branch. She cupped her fevered face between her hands. What were these strange feelings? Her mind was in a daze- all she could think about was that guy.

A breeze and suddenly Soi Fon was next to her and asking," Are you all right?"

"Uh, who was that?" Hiyori tried to get her bearings, tried to get a straight thought to formulate.

"Byakuya Kuchiki. He's the heir to the noble Kuchiki clan. He's also Lady Yoruichi's student and her godson."

Why did the thought of him being a noble suddenly make him _sooo_ much hotter?

"Why?"

"No reason," she answered a little too quickly, shifting her eyes to the side as she bit her lip. She glanced back up to see that Soi Fon had a light dusting of pink across her cheeks and evens he seemed slightly flustered with her hands trembling. Damn that boy was hot…

/

"Aaaaw, my little Bya-baby is all grown up and getting the girls all hot and bothered," snickered Yoruichi, laughing. Her boy was certainly going to grow up to be a heartbreaker. With a father like Soujun, she would expect nothing less.

Kisuke looked baffled," But-but I thought she liked Shinji. Now she seems to like Byakuya."

He shot her a desperate look as if to say 'I-don't-understand-teenage-girls-please-help-me'. Yoruichi smirked and decided to show the blonde a little mercy. It was difficult even as someone who had been a teenage girl to completely understand the thought process that went on during such a hormonally controlled stage. Hell, when she was a teenager she had fancied herself to be in love with Kaien. Even now she can remember writing love letters and chickening out from actually sending them. She can still remember obsessively stalking him with Kisuke ever confused at her side. A teenage girl doesn't understand what's in her heart yet so she tends to let her hormones govern her decisions.

"Alright, here's the story so far. Hiyori loves Shinji. The munchkin hasn't realized this yet. Hiyori now has an infatuation with Bya-boo that is based on nothing but his looks. Shinji is probably falling in love with Hiyori," Yoruichi shrugged," and that's all there is to it."

"This seems like mess waiting to happen," he commented dryly.

"Eh, not really," the violet-haired woman nonchalantly said," like I said earlier, it doesn't really matter whether they love each other or not. Hiyori is still a hundred years too early to be dating Shinji. Legal or not they're not on the same maturity level. She should be allowed to date and crush on other guys. That way when she finally realizes how she feels, Hiyori'll be able to connect with him romantically as an equal."

Kisuke nodded, understanding dawning on his face.

Yoruichi shoved him playfully in the shoulder," Although, don't try to think too much into little Hiyori's mind. It'll make you madder than Mayuri."

"Teenage girls should be classified as their own species," he sighed, scratching at his chin thoughtfully.

Yoruichi nodded in agreement. Byakuya had returned back to the barracks, his spiritual pressure lashing out with seething anger. She wonders if maybe she should try and set little Hiyori and Bya-boo up. Both of them were needlessly angry teenagers. What could go wrong? She immediately dismissed the thought. Bya-boo needed someone calm and sweet to balance out his pigheadedness and temper. Hiyori required someone who was level-headed but could also match her fire. Anyone who couldn't would either bore or irritate her. She would also need someone who could sober her when she was acting irrationally and someone who would be willing to be put through her mood swings and violence.

Well, damn. Apparently the universe had only created one person in the world who could probably be all that for her. Red strings of fate and all that jazz. Shinji really had his work cut out for him.

"You should probably head back to your Division," she tilted her head to look back at the two blushing girls," I'll escort those two to the Fourth."

Kisuke stood up and stretched," See ya later then."

She rolled her eyes as he shunpo'd away.

/

"Alright children, time to get cleaned up," Yoruichi clapped as she called up to them from the ground. The devil cat lady was smirking up at them with a knowing look in those golden eyes. Hiyori scowled down at her as Soi Fon immediately shunpo'd towards her Captain.

She sighed and followed Soi Fon.

But the minute she landed on the ground, she muttered just loud enough for Yoruichi to hear," Not a damn child."

"Oh. Sure you're not," the violet-haired woman laughed boisterously, reaching down and ruffling her blonde hair. Hiyori backed away and glared while roughly patting her hair back into its original unruly mess.

"Anyway, I'm going to escort you _ladies_ to the Fourth to get all those scrapes healed up."

"I can make it there by myself," the blonde spat out immediately. Hiyori was finding she hated this woman. Yoruichi was constantly looking down on her and belittling her. The damned cat-woman seemed to think everything was a joke and that she knew everything. Hiyori always felt on edge and ready to spring into attack when Yoruichi was near.

"No, I insist," Yoruichi smiled, laying a hand on the younger girl's shoulder and steering her towards the exit. The message was clear. Hiyori didn't have a choice in the matter.

Soi Fon obediently trailed behind them, her head slightly angled down.

Hiyori bit her tongue as she held in the cutting words she really wanted to spew from her mouth. She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking Yoruichi's hand off of her shoulder. With fire brimming in her ochre eyes, she made it clear through her body language what she thought of the situation.

She really wanted to ask what the woman had done with that dumbass Kisuke but decided she'd rather not know. With one flare of her spiritual pressure she could tell he was back at the Division. Which was good for now since she knew she wouldn't run into his ugly ass face while on the way to the Fourth.

They were halfway to the Fourth(Yoruichi had insisted on walking)when a warm breeze tickled along Hiyori's cheek and blew her hair gently towards the side. It reminded her of her earlier desire to go on a picnic and view the flowers. If Kirio were here they would've finished early in the morning and gathered all the troops that were available to go to the Rukongai's first District's sakura gardens. They would have all trained, danced, sang, joked, and just enjoyed normal camaraderie. Hiyori couldn't even remember when she hadn't been cooped up in that damned office. Ever since Kisuke had become Captain she had been left alone for hours on end with nothing but her thoughts and that damn ticking clock.

"Sooo, I heard something interesting from Kisuke," Yoruichi ripped her from her thoughts, she glanced to the side to see the woman giving her a sly look from under her long lashes.

Oh, she could only guess what that idiot baldy had said. Still, she kept her jaw firmly shut.

"He said you had a little crush on a certain blonde," the woman teased. Hiyori's fists clenched and she instinctively pulled them back to beat the crap out of the person who even insinuated that she liked Shinji.

Yoruichi calmly blocked her attack, grasping her small fist in her palm. The woman cocked her head to the side," Well, do you?"

"NO!" Hiyori yowled, eyes blazing and practically foaming at the mouth.

The violet-haired woman chuckled before continuing in a low voice," Very believable. A little advice? The more violent you react to the question, the more people will think you really mean _yes_."

She released the fist and turned to continue walking. Hiyori gaped after her, her mouth opening in closing as she tried to find a comeback. Then a horrible thought struck. If that was how people viewed her reaction….Kirio….Love….Kisuke….

They all thought she had a crush on Shinji. She did _not_, but because of how she flew into a rage they all thought she did.

Yoruichi paused once more," One more thing. Do you have a crush on Bya-boy?"

"Who?"

"The boy who was asking for her earlier," Soi Fon whispered, her face turning pink.

Hiyori felt hers burn in the same way," Maybe. He was cute."

Hot, actually. Very, very hot.

Yoruichi smirked," Good to know."

/

**Omake:**

Yoruichi smirked down at the man below her, who was giving her a wary look.

"Miss Shihoin, what a pleasant surprise," Shinji said politely.

She frowned," That's not a very warm greeting for a fellow Captain."

"What do you want?" he sighed, scratching the back of his head.

"Just to tell you some interesting news," she purred out, leaping off of the wall and landing lightly on her paws. It was so good to be back in her cat-form again. She stretched lazily and weaved around his legs, butting playfully. He nudged her away with his foot," You're getting fur all over my uniform.

She huffed and flicked her tail, rolling her golden eyes," It's about Hiyori."

He instantly perked up," What kind of trouble did the little monkey get into? Did she finally kill Kisuke or something?"

"No, sweet little Hiyori is growing into a woman," Yoruichi fluttered her eyelids dramatically.

"…..wait, what?"

Her ears perked up and she danced on her paw tips," She has a _crush."_

Shinji looked shocked, his eyes widening and jaw dropping," Who's the poor bastard she had her sights on?"

"My little Bya-boy. It's so _adorable_!"

He just stared at her," That little prissy noble brat?"

"Yep."

"That doesn't even make sense!" he burst out. "She doesn't even like nobles!"

"Well, she _likes_ this one. At least in the physical sense."

"What physical sense?! She's too young to even notice _anyone _in a physical sense!" he squawked, waving his arms dramatically.

"Why are you so objective of her just having a crush on him?"

"WHY DID YOU FEEL THE NEED TO TELL ME ANY OF THIS?!"

* * *

**Chapter 5: Aizen**

* * *

Hiyori leant against the sakura tree, light filtering through the pink flowers and petals scattered all around her. She unsheathed her zanpakuto, laying it across her lap, running her hand over the warm, pulsing metal and cool braided hilt. It had been nearly three months since she had last meditated with Kubikiri Orochi. The large serpent was going to be pissed when she got there.

"Well, it's about time you came here," a cool, indifferent voice muttered. Hiyori's ochre eyes opened to gaze into one large slit pupil eye of the same color. The blonde girl stepped back a few paces to get a good look at her zanpakuto spirit.

The dragon was huge, five stories tall, and had crimson scales that glittered like freshly spilled blood. Her paws had long lethal talons curved and tapered to points. Muscles bulged and twitched, hinting at the power and strength she possessed. Two bony horns sloped on her head and spikes ran up the base of her skull to the tip of her tail. Her tail also formed into a scale-shaped like heart design. Her wings were shredded at the ends and pulled tight into her body. The scales beneath her eyes were black and reminded Hiyori of how women lined their eyes with kohl to make them pop.

Her low-pitched voice rumbled as she spoke, even though her mouth didn't move," When are we going to dispose of that incompetent Captain of yours?"

The dragon lifted her head, a necklace of human skulls jangling loudly at the base of her throat, and inclined her head to the side, brightened ochre eyes glowing," I would suggest the method of strangulation or my favored one of beheading. I could use a new skull for my collection."

"Tch," she sucked her teeth," I don't have the time to kill him."

She really didn't between paper working and training the officer while also managing that idiot. By the end of the day all she usually wanted to do was sleep. No time to plot a murder.

"I desire blood," commented Kubikiri Orochi, curling her lip to show rows and rows of razor sharp teeth gleaming a pearly white in the low lighting.

Hiyori ignored her and walked toward the head of the ruined throne room, taking a seat on the partially broken throne. The room was large enough to hold the dragon, piles of gold shining dully in mountains along the sides. Large floor to ceiling windows lined the walls, moonlight spilling silver pools in the otherwise dark place. The Lieutenant had once tried to catch a glimpse of the outer world but only darkness and the moon she had caught before Kubikiri Orochi had chased her away with snapping jaws back to the throne.

"I can't kill everyone we hate," she complained, leaning forward with her chin cradled in her palm.

"That isn't true. I know plenty of people we could kill very easily with little to no repercussions. Do you want the list?"

"No, what I want is to talk with you," Hiyori stated, fidgeting in the velvet-padded seat.

"Oh," the dragon blinked curiously," well, then get on with it. I don't have all day."

What did her zanpakuto do when she wasn't here? Hiyori imagined it to be dull in the throne room by yourself. Not unless the dragon went outside, but she highly doubted that. Maybe her theory was correct and…

"Do you talk to other zanpakuto spirits?" she asked.

"Yes," was all the dragon said.

"How does that work?"

Kubikiri Orochi yawned, clearly already bored with the conversation," It depends on how close the two Soul Reapers are. I can converse with that prissy zanpakuto of Urahara if I desired to because the two of you work in close quarters and I can connect our spiritual pressures. Suzumebach and I had a rather interesting chat while the two of you dueled. For such a tiny thing she has such a gratingly loud voice."

She flicked her ear as if it were still in pain.

"So…if two zanpakuto are a long distance from one another then they can't communicate?" Hiyori felt her hope dim.

The dragon turned her head away, large eyes distant and sad," That is true. I'm sorry, my mistress, but I cannot provide communications between your mother and you."

Her heart crumbled in despair. She hadn't heard a single word from or about Kirio since she'd left.

One year ago on today.

Hiyori blinked back the sting of tears. She had hoped and prayed this would work. All she needed was a message, a note, _anything._ She just wanted to hear from her mother. The blonde girl didn't understand the wall that was separating the two of them. Aside from Love, Kirio was the only family she had.

"Mistress," Kubikiri Orochi leant down, her hot breath puffing out, blowing her hair back. "Crying is not a weakness. Your mother would not want you to keep them bottle up."

Hiyori hugged her knees close to her chest, tears streaming down silently. Her hands knotted in the fabric as she struggled not to sob. It wasn't the same! The Division, her home, wasn't the same warm familiar place it had been since she had first been adopted. It had been morphed into a cold and calculating laboratory. People who had been in the Division since she had been a baby had jumped ship. A harsh keening noise made its way out of her mouth and she clamped her hand over it.

Her water heavy lashes squeezed shut and the back of her eyes burned. She'd give anything to have Kirio come back.

/

She blinked her eyes open, noting the orange hue of the setting sun. She must've been in there for at least four hours, ranting and crying her eyes out. In her inner world, at least, no one would see her break down. Hiyori wiped away the tears that had leaked out in the physical world.

Her and her zanpakuto had a pretty good relationship. Albeit, sometimes it felt all the serpent wanted to do was kill things but Hiyori could relate to that. Kubikiri Orochi was always there to give her a giant leg to lean on. She ran her small fingers over the blade, assured by the strength resonating from it. If she concentrated she could almost feel the rise of hot scales.

She was about to sheathe the sword when a not so subtle cough made her spring up and point the tip at the person's throat. Her golden eyes widened when she saw who it was.

Aizen Sosuke smiled sheepishly, holding up his hands in surrender," Good afternoon, Lieutenant Sarugaki. I did not mean to intrude."

For some reason, her hand trembled as she placed her zanpakuto back in its sheathe. Odd, as if she wanted to keep her blade out. Hiyori really found that strange. She might not like his Captain but Aizen was nice and polite. Always warm, friendly, and a friend of Kirio's. In her book, anyone who was friends with her mother had to be a good person.

"What are you doing out in the Rukongai?" she asked inquiringly. She had never seen him take more than five steps outside of Seireitei's walls.

"I could ask you the same thing," he laughed, but gestured towards a bag he was holding. Had it always been in his hand? The tears must've messed up her perception. " I was simply out shopping. The best kabosu are grown in the Eastern Second District."

"Oh, are you going to add it to a hot pot or something?"

He shook his head, chocolate locks getting into even more of a disarray," No, I plan on using it with squid sashimi. I had it at a restaurant the other day and decided to try copying the recipe."

The two of them fell into a polite chat, her giving him tips on cooking. It was nice talking to someone about something so mundane. Hiyori couldn't remember the last time she had discussed the culinary arts with someone else. Maybe if she had free time she could volunteer to cook in the mess hall. It might be good for her to dive into something she loved again.

As the conversation drifted and they were at the part where one would generally say goodbyes, Aizen kindly asked," Earlier, when you were meditating with your zanpakuto, you appeared to be in distress. Is everything all right?"

She smirked up at him, bravado turned up full blast," Nothings wrong. My zanpakuto and I had a disagreement and she was tearing me a new one."

Completely untrue. Kubikiri Orochi and her hadn't fought since she had first obtained shikai. The dragon hadn't seen her as worthy and they nearly had a fight to the death before Kubikiri Orochi had backed down in submission. Hiyori shuddered to think of what she would have to do to gain bankai. There was only so many gut-busting blows she could take.

"Well, just so you know, if you ever have a problem you can always talk to me," he smiled sympathetically down at her. Obviously he didn't believe her zanpakuto fight theory. Hiyori wasn't surprised. Aizen was too smart a man to be fooled by such a ridiculous lie. She didn't mind though because he at least had the sense to drop the subject. Not like that dumbass Shinji who would just nag her until she told him. Troublesome baldy.

She waved and shunpo'd back towards the Seireitei. Aizen had remained behind because he was missing a few ingredients.

_He's a gentleman,_ commented her zanpakuto randomly,_ as is Kyoka Suigetsu. Really knows how to treat a lady._

"Or a dragon," she teased. Her zanpakuto grunted, slightly amused.

/

On her way back home, she decided to stop by Shinji's place and bug him a little bit. As she landed on the terrace, everything dark except for the lights beaming out the windows and the streetlamps. Hiyori brushed her fringe out of her eyes and raised her fist to knock on the door. She had considered kicking his door in but had decided against it. The blonde had already broken his back porch. She didn't want to add more onto the 'tab' that he supposedly kept every time she destroyed something of his.

Just as her knuckles were about to make contact with the wood, a feminine voice floated from inside. Hiyori froze, her eyes widening and pupils narrowing to pinpricks.

Cicadas chirped all around her.

"Shinji," a laughing voice," stop that!"

"Why should I? You seem to be enjoying it," Shinji's voice had taken on a tone that Hiyori had never heard before. Low and sultry, almost purring. It was weird and made her feel strange. It made her heartbeat speed up and her breathe shorten.

She tried not to think too hard about what might be going on inside, but images kept flashing through her mind. Hiyori went to take a nervous step back, her eyes still fixated in horror at the door. It was hard to compute that this man who was essentially her best friend committing any kind of sexual action. He was just too silly and dopey. But now she was being proven wrong.

Hiyori stumbled on her next step back, falling on one knee with her ankle twisted. The voices inside paused and she heard him call out," Who's there?"

Her ears picked up his footsteps as they made their way towards the door.

By the time he opened it, a flood of light spilling out, she was already gone.

Hiyori curled herself in tight against the sakura tree. She hadn't managed to go far, apparently her ankle must've been slightly sprained because of her stupid shock. The blonde was still in the Fifth Division. The courtyard was entirely dark with one flickering streetlight that cast harsh shadows across her face.

Her brain tried to compute what had just happened but it just kept repeating it over and over and over like some sick theatre performance in her head.

Shakily, she stood up. The only thing she knew was that she had to get home. Home was safe. Home was where things would make sense. Hiyori had limped forward a few steps when a dark shadow separated from the rest to stand before her. Her eyes weakly focused and unfocused on the sinister glint of glasses on a white face bleeding in from the darkness. She trembled and tried to keep weight off of her injured foot.

"Lieutenant Sarugaki?" Aizen asked, worry etching on his features. " You don't look well."

He walked forward and placed the back of his hand on her forehead. Hiyori didn't have the energy to knock his appendage away. Her mouth had apparently stopped working, obstinately remaining shut.

"You don't appear to be having a fever," the other Lieutenant observed, stepping but still bent down to her level. "Is there something causing you pain?"

_I don't know._ " My-my ankle," the girl spoke timidly, her eyes finally focusing on the front of his shihakusho. She licked her dry lips," I think I twisted it. It hurts…"

Her voice trailed off. Vaguely, she tried to remember the last time she had sounded so pathetic. Not since she was a child.

"Let me see," he ordered and she obediently lifted the injured leg, unconsciously reaching forward and laying a hand on his shoulder for balance. Aizen delicately ran his fingers over the joints, applying pressure and noting when she flinched. As her small hand tightened on his shoulder she found herself wondering how she never noticed he had such powerful muscles and that his spiritual pressure was rather choking. As soon as she thought that it disappeared and drifted away.

Aizen smiled up at her," Well, it looks like nothing's broken. Just a slight sprain. I have a first aid kit in my room. We can go up there, get this fixed, and talk about whatever is troubling you over tea. Is that fine with you, Lieutenant Sarugaki?"

She nodded meekly, eyes drifting back into the darkness.

/

Hiyori watched the gauze being wrapped around and around her ankle and her foot. Aizen did it so easily that she couldn't help thinking that maybe he used to be in the Fourth Division. He seemed like the gentle healer type, although she had heard his zanpakuto was quite deadly.

"I'll put some tea on," he said once he was done. What was with this man? Did he think every fucking problem could be solved with tea?

"Do you prefer oolong, jasmine-cha, hojicha, or genmaicha?"

"Jasmine-cha," she whispered, her golden eyes staring blankly at the floorboards. The theatre in her head continued. Since when did Shinji have a girlfriend? Or do whatever it was they were doing? Why hadn't he told her about this?

A few minutes later, she still didn't have any answers to her hundreds of questions, but she did have a steaming chawan of tea nestled in her fingers. Hiyori lifted it to her lips, taking a long, slow drink. The warm liquid trickled down, flavors dancing on her tongue, heat pooling in her stomach and spreading throughout her body.

Damn. Aizen could brew some really good fucking tea. In even her dazed and confused state she could notice and appreciate that.

He sat seiza across from her, his own chawan held delicately in his hand. Aizen's dark brown eyes caught her ochre ones and with his pleasant smile," Now that we have our tea, let's discuss what has you in such distress."

Hiyori bit her lip. What did have her in such distress? Was it really Shinji and that girl? Or was it this day's anniversary that had her mood going haywire? She curled her nail along the porcelain, examining the images painted of what appeared to be deities of some kind. The blonde hadn't known that he was a fan of Living World religions. Hiyori severely doubted he actually worshipped them.

"I don't know," she finally mumbled, her gaze riveted on an image of a smiling kitsune dancing along the bottom. In the candlelight, it almost seemed to be sneering with malice in its eyes.

"Well, tell me what happened after we talked under the sakura tree. Surely we'll be able to find the root cause," he poured them some more tea. Hiyori almost stopped him. As the younger of the two it was rude of her not to pour the tea. Kirio would be ashamed of her to show such insubordination of her elders. Still, if he wanted to pour then she couldn't exactly snatch the pot out of his hands.

"I went straight to Shinji's house," the blonde informed him, after she had taken another sip of the delicious tea.

"And what happened after you arrived there? Did you talk to Captain Hirako?"

Her words stuck to the back of her throat. She didn't feel she knew Aizen well enough to explain the thoughts and emotions going on inside of her. Maybe she should wait until tomorrow and talk to Soi Fon or Love instead. They made much more sense to discuss such a strange matter with.

She opened her mouth to say so when suddenly those other options seemed ridiculous. Why should she wait when kind Aizen was here to listen to her plight now? He was always there for anyone to speak to and give sage advice. There was no harm in just getting it all out now.

"N-no," Hiyori stumbled over the words, her tongue now felt lethargic and her mind went back to the theatre except everything was lost in a fog, moving slowly," I was go-going to knock on the door, but then I heard a voice-"

"Captain Hirako's?

She shook her head, eyes vacant," It was a woman and then he answered her. I've never heard him talk to someone like that."

"Like what?" he inquired, eyes and ears sharp.

"I don't know," the blonde answered, not sure how to describe it. The words that came to her mind weren't ones she wanted to speak aloud. Then one sentence popped out, even as she tried to keep her lips sealed," Lusty. Desiring. It was weird hearing him talk like that."

"Surely the Captain has had other lovers before. Why did this one unbalance you?"

Hiyori had always known in the back of her head that Shinji had had sex before. Sort of like how she knew Love and Kirio must've had lovers, but she had never ran into them in the act and none of them had ever introduced them to her. Or they just hadn't told her they were sleeping with them. She had never really wanted to know.

"I-I guess it's b-because I've never caught them in the act before," she confessed," it was strange hearing him say things like that."

Aizen looked like he wanted to pat her on the head, like she was a little girl who still didn't understand the ways of the world, but clearly refrained," Well, it is perfectly natural for adults to-"

"_I know that!" _she snarled, the haze in her mind clearing for an instant. He recoiled, startled at her outburst. " I'm not a child! I _know _that people fuck for fun!"

He considered her thoughtfully," Then isn't there another reason why you were upset with the situation?"

Hiyori found herself mute.

"Perhaps you have feelings for Captain Hirako?" it was a statement that trailed off into a question, hanging in the air like poison.

Hiyori remembered Yorucihi's words and focused on not clenching her teeth, but her ochre eyes did drift from his as she answered," No. I don't."

/

**Omake:**

After Hiyori left, Aizen's eyes darkened behind his glasses and he muttered under his breath," Bitch, can't have my man."


End file.
